Facts and figures

Legal Basis:

• Charta of Paris for a new Europe (1990)
• Final Resolution of the Madrid Conference concerning the establishment of the CSCE Parliamentary Assembly (1991)
• Rules of Procedure (Status 24 February 2005)

Objectives:

• Promote the parliamentary dimension of the OSCE process
• Develop mechanisms for the prevention and resolution of conflicts and for crisis management
• Strengthen and consolidate the democratic institutions in the OSCE participating States

Number of participating States: 56 Membership of Germany since: 1992 German contribution to the budget: 9,1 % Total number of seats of delegates: 320 German delegation: 13 Members Head of delegation: Bundestag Vice-President Wolfgang Thierse (SPD) Deputy head of delegation: Willy Wimmer (CDU/CSU) Bodies:

• Bureau (President und nine Vice-Presidents)
• Standing Committee
• Three General Committees

President: Göran Lennmarker (Schweden) Headquarters: Copenhagen Sessions: Annual Session, Winter Meeting, Autumn Meeting Locations: The Annual Session takes place in July rotating among the OSCE participating States. The Winter Meeting always takes place in Vienna in February. The Autumn Meeting with the Mediterranean Forum takes place in a Mediterranean country. General committees:

• General Committee on Political Affairs and Security
• General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment
• General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions

Meetings:

• Annual Session rotating among participating States
• Winter meeting in Vienna
• Enlarged Bureau in Copenhagen
• Autumn meeting with Mediterranean Forum

Official and working languages: German, English, French, Italian, Russian and Spanish